Hometown News: Second Student dies from H1N1

A second Buffalo student has died from swine flu. Nine-year-old Maya Harden passed away Saturday morning at Women and Children's Hospital. She was a fourth-grader at the Charles Drew Science Magnet School 59 who had been ill for some time. The second death comes a week after 15-year-old Matthew Davis died from complications related to H1N1. School Superintendent Doctor James Williams reminds parents to have their kids wash their hands frequently to help prevent the spread of the flu.

Hometown News: First Erie County Swine Flu Death

A 15-year-old Buffalo boy has become Erie County's first swine flu related death. Matthew Davis was reportedly suffering from pneumonia and MERSA as well as the H1N1 virus. . Davis was an eighth grade student at Harvey Austin School 97. He was taken off life support Saturday.School officials say grief counselors will be available today.

HTN: Critical H1N1 Case in Buffalo School

A girl in the Buffalo Public School District is on life support with a confirmed case of swine flu. The nine-year-old caught pneumonia after contracting the H1N1 virus. The fourth grader attends the Charles Drew Science Magnet School 59 museum campus. The girl was taken to the emergency room Friday with flu-like symptoms and sent home. She then caught pneumonia and was admitted to Women and Children's Hospital on Tuesday morning.

HTN: Three Schools Now Closed from H1N1

The Erie County Health Department now says the county has 100 cases of swine flu. And a third school says is closing its doors until Monday after several people there are being tested for H1N1. Oracle Charter School on Delaware Avenue closed Wednesday. Students will start taking their final exams when they return Monday. Riverside High School in Buffalo was closed for two days earlier this month, and Buffalo United Charter School also closed Wednesday. The World Health Organization declared swine flu a pandemic yesterday, the first global flu epidemic in 41 years.

Hometown News: Riverside Closed by Flu

Students at Buffalo's Riverside High School are getting an unexpected long weekend. The school is closed today and again Monday because of a flu outbreak. Officials say 19 students have complained of flu-like symptoms. The school's sites on Hertel and Ontario Avenues will reopen Tuesday after a thorough cleaning. The Erie County Health Department is running tests to see if H1NI is in play.

HTN: More H1N1 Cases in County

Nine more cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Erie County. Six are children, while three are adults. Three cases have been confirmed at the Transit Middle School in Williamsville, with one each at Nichols School in Buffalo, the William Street School in Lancaster, and Amherst Middle School. The three adult cases all are from Amherst. There are now 13 confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in Erie County. Health Commissioner Doctor Anthony Billittier says he is closely watching the schools, especially the Transit Middle School. However, the decision to close schools remains at the local level. Billittier says so far the symptoms have been mild.

HTN: Two More H1N1 Cases in Erie Coutny

Two more cases of Swine Flu have been confirmed in Erie County, bringing the number of cases in the county to three. Both cases are school children with mild symptoms. County Health officials believe the new cases are unsurprising given H1N1's spread throughout the country. There are currently over three-thousand-confirmed cases of the illness in the U-S, but only three deaths have been reported.

HTN: Counties Change Swine Flu Recommendations

Health officials in Erie and six other Western New York counties say one case of suspected or confirmed case of swine flu will not be enough to recommend closing the facility. Officials say cases of the illness so far have been mild, about the same as seasonal flu. The decisions come after the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revamped its policy, saying that a single case does not mean a school should close.

Hometown News: Swine Flu Update

A case of swine flu has been confirmed in Chautauqua County. Health officials say the total number of confirmed cases in the state now stands at 90. The Bemus Point Central School District reopened today after closures last Friday and yesterday. A male student was reported to have a probable case of the swine flu. Chautauqua County health officials say they felt confident that it was safe to reopen the schools today. The state Education Department released a statement yesterday that said it will not grant exemptions to the 180-day rule for schools closed because of swine flu.

After receiving an unexpected week off due to the school being closed for a week, students returned to Saint Francis Prep in Queens, the epicenter of swine flu outbreak in New York. Janitors spent the past week scrubbing down the Fresh Meadows high school. Principal, Brother Leonard Conway, says some parents waited till today to send their children back to school, but attendance was high yesterday.

Governor Paterson's office reports that no new swine flu cases were reported outside of New York City on Monday, with the number of confirmed cases remaining at 17. There are 73 confirmed cases in New York City. All of the cases have been relatively mild, with no fatalities reported.

HTN: Swine Flu News Summary

Chautauqua County health officials are still waiting for confirmation on a probable case of swine flu [[ H1N1 ]] in Bemus Point. Bemus Point schools remain closed today as the CDC continues to look into the case of a Maple Grove Junior Senior High School student. The student in question hasn't been in school since last Monday, and is linked to the St. Francis school outbreak in Queens. New York currently has 96 total cases, both probable and confirmed, of H1N1. Seventy-nine of those cases are in New York City, while the other 17 are scattered across the state.

That Queens high school with the largest cluster of swine flu cases in the United States reopened today. St. Francis Prep has been sanitized from top to bottom and Brother Leonard Conway says the 45 students diagnosed with the swine flu "have recovered or are recovering.

In light of the swine flu scare, New York State is hoping to get a jump on any future flu outbreaks. Governor David Paterson says scientists are working on ways to curb the severity of any future flu strains. The State Health Commissioner is urging New Yorkers to get a flu shot in the fall, when the disease typically starts to show up again after taking the summer off.

Hometown News: Swine Flu Update

Test results are still pending in two possible Chautauqua County swine flu cases. Health officials say the cases could wind up to be normal seasonal flu. The illness is spreading from New York City to parts Upstate, according to State Health Commissioner Dr. Richard Daines. Daines says with 75 suspect cases in all health regions of New York, it's a good bet swine flu will spread to all 57 Upstate counties.

Hometown News: Swine Flu News Summary

State health officials are investigating two possible swine flu cases in Chautauqua County. This comes as tests are being done on 10-to-15 possible cases outside of New York City. Monroe County is reporting at least five possible cases. Officials say all the cases there are people in their 20's who had recently been to Mexico. All of the symptoms have been mild.

A state lab will examine the tests before sending them to the CDC in Atlanta for confirmation. State health commissioner Doctor Richard Daines says the state has adequate flu treatments, with nearly two-and-a-half million doses on hand. State officials caution residents who feel sick to stay at home.

Students at two more New York City schools are being tested for swine flu after experiencing symptoms. P.S. 177 in Queens has closed for the day as a cluster of cases are being tested there. Meantime the Ascension School on the Upper West Side is staying open, with no cases having been confirmed. Parents dropping off their kids at the Morningside Heights school this morning say they are confident in the school's judgement.

There have been 45 confirmed swine flu cases at St. Francis Prep School in Queens, which is some two miles away from P.S. 177. St. Francis Prep will be closed for the remainder of the week.

Hometown News: Swine Flu News Summary

Erie County health officials say they are prepared to deal with swine flu if it spreads to Western New York. So far there are no suspected cases of the disease in the region. However, Health Commissioner Anthony Billittier says they are ramping up their capabilities in case the flu spreads further. Dr. Billitier spoke with Loraine and Tom on WECK's Good Morning Buffalo.

A Cortland County man could be the first Swine Flu case in upstate. He is suspected to have contracted the illness in Mexico, and coworkers are under strict surveillance by the Madison County Health Department. Authorities are still waiting on test results.

More cases of swine flu are popping up around the New York City area. The swine flu outbreak in the Big Apple has centered around St. Francis Prep in Queens, where Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the number of cases has risen to 28. The school is closed at least until today after dozens of students became ill last week.

NYC Officials are also taking a look at possible cases at another nearby Queens school, P.S. 177, following a class trip to Mexico. In the meantime, five suspected swine flu cases are being investigated in New Jersey.